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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27296623">Momo: A Jinx in Pure Heart</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Azure_Umbra/pseuds/Azure_Umbra'>Azure_Umbra</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Mages of Pure Heart (MMHOPH x MCA) [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Magic Cat Academy (Video Game), Mao Mao: Heroes of Pure Heart (Cartoon)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Candy, Crossover, F/M, Gen, Ghosts, Google Doodle, Halloween, Halloween Costumes, Trick or Treating, except it's referred here as "Harvest Moon Festival"</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 18:41:58</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>16,723</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27296623</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Azure_Umbra/pseuds/Azure_Umbra</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Months after an attempted ghost invasion on Pure Heart Valley was thwarted, thanks to Mao Mao and the young magical student Momo, the Sweetypies prepare to celebrate the Harvest Moon Festival. Lights are alit, music and laughter are in the air, and everyone is all set to dig into some tempting treats. Mao Mao, Momo, and the rest of their friends are just as eager to take part in the celebration, but unbeknownst to them, one ghostly outsider struggles to find their place in the warmth of community.</p><p>Sequel to "Momo: Mages of Pure Heart"</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Mages of Pure Heart (MMHOPH x MCA) [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1993078</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Advent of the Harvest Moon</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShadowBanking101/gifts">ShadowBanking101</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This story is a sequel to my previous crossover fic between MMHOPH and Google's "Magic Cat Academy". However, this is also based on another actual Google Doodle for Halloween back in 2017, which was a short video titled "Jinx's Night Out". Interestingly enough, it is set within the same universe as Magic Cat Academy, and the main character of the short crosses paths with Momo (MCA's protagonist) at several points. </p><p>Please enjoy this result and if you want to go further, tell me what you think.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  
</p>
<p>The sun was setting in Pure Heart Valley, and down in the streets of the town area’s main plaza, the Sheriff’s Department was standing watch over the various decorations being set up for their annual Harvest Moon Festival. As the three of them observed, Sweetypies were hanging up and setting in place props of all kinds, meant to emulate the theme of the fall season. Some were hung over the windowsills or on lampposts, while others that were bigger and heavier were set on the ground. On all accounts, it was going to be fun…and yummy too.</p>
<p>“Man, I’m still wondering how that pumpkin pie’s gonna look,” Badgerclops mused out loud.</p>
<p>He was immediately joined by Adorabat swooping over his head and plopping right onto his shoulder. “Well, I wanna see if Mao Mao can get me one of Muffins’s candy apples more.”</p>
<p>“Well, sure,” Badgerclops replied, “but I still think the pumpkin pie’s the number one sweety treat for Harvest Moon. It’s made from Farmer Bun’s prize pumpkin, that’s most important.”</p>
<p>Simultaneously, Mao Mao was busy getting on the case of Gary and Slim Pigguns having a questionable choice of how vendor tents were set up. “No, no, no! Tent tops are always higher up than the poles, not the other way around!” Gary and Slim just looked at him like he said the most random thing ever, prompting the sheriff to just turn around and leave, storming off in the best growl of frustration he could make obvious to the Sweetypies.</p>
<p>Badgerclops and Adorabat saw him walk up to where they were, as he meant to regroup. “Hey Mao,” the badger greeted first. “How’s the setup going along?”</p>
<p>Mao Mao made another audible growl. “Don’t get me started. How exactly do these dummies even get these celebrations off the ground without us?” He didn’t turn around, but Adorabat and Badgerclops looked past Mao Mao to observe the two Sweetypies taking pride in the inverse tent they set up, though they then descended into light arguing about whether or not to position the tent itself into a square or diamond position.</p>
<p>“Hey, just chill,” Badgerclops said to the black cat reassuringly. “This only happens for one day a year and everyone’s gonna be out having fun. I’m sure it won’t matter that much.”</p>
<p>“Easy for you to say,” Mao Mao crossed his arms and snorted in response. But his ear twitched at the sound of someone calling to him. “Hi again, Mr. Mao Mao!” the voice said in a youthful feminine tone.</p>
<p>To his surprise, Mao Mao turned to notice from the corner of his eye that a small trio of Sweetypies were prancing down the plaza in his direction. Mao Mao observed two of the three considering of a tiny food and a green frog, but his eyes widened upon recognizing the third person: a female black cat significantly younger and smaller than him, having a pair of ears and yellow eyes that were round in contrast to the sheriff’s sharp-looking ones. Apart from what she wore, Mao Mao recognized that little cat all too well. He had first met the little cat a long while back when he and his friends went to a school for magic users as part of some endorsement tour. The moment they crossed paths, they were accosted by an attempted invasion by a horde of ghosts, and they both joined forces to stop the threat. It was not the conventional first meeting one would expect when making a new friend, but Mao Mao and the little black cat girl bonded closely because of the incident; it definitely suited the sheriff that he would create and solidify a friendship with a fellow cat through a trial-by-fire.</p>
<p>“Ms. Momo!” he answered her warmly. He waited until she stopped right in front of him, exchanging a smile with her as he looked her over. “You seem ready for the Harvest Moon to start.”</p>
<p>Momo nodded energetically as she fiddled with the pumpkin-like basket in her hands. Mao Mao also noticed that the girl looked different as well. The last time he had met Momo, she wore a simple dark grey robe that was the standard uniform for the magic school she attended. But now, Momo was wearing a bright yellow robe, with a pointy yellow hat on her head, to boot. “I can't wait to get started on the fun part with my other friends. I just love the taste of other people's homemade candy!”</p>
<p>“Homemade candy? You go around and people give you those?” Badgerclops butted in at hearing such words. “Can I come with you?”</p>
<p>Mao Mao rolled his eyes. “Badgerclops, don't be silly. We’re sheriffs, alright?”</p>
<p>“But we still get candy after we’re done, right?” asked Adorabat after observing Badgerclops's moment of displeasure. “I like candy too.”</p>
<p>Mao Mao flicked his cape. “Of course, my little deputy. But only after we finish our work of keeping watch over the festivities.” Ignoring the little huff Badgerclops made, he took a step closer to Momo. “So what are you dressed up as tonight?”</p>
<p>Momo looked down at her outfit when she heard the sheriff’s question. “Oh, this? I'm actually dressed up as Honey. I just think she's the coolest.” She ended her statement with a wink.</p>
<p>“Hmm?” Mao Mao raised an eye ridge. “And why's that?”</p>
<p>“Well, when I first went to the school, I heard stories about her after she graduated,” said Momo. “They always talk about how she was the best student for years before. Along with her being good enough to be in the king's palace, I thought she really was cool enough to dress up as this year.” She then sighed, “It really would be even cooler if she saw me now.”</p>
<p>Mao Mao smiled jauntily at Momo's youthful sense of admiration. “Well, I'm sure if Honey were here right now, she'd be flattered.” He saw Momo giggle in response. For a moment, he took comfort in how nostalgic the other cat’s joy was making him feel, how it reminded him of his own innocence, his once-childlike passions for anything and anyone, no matter how small (not that he would admit to smallness, anyway). Mao Mao cleared his throat. “Well, the decorations and tents for the festival are…almost done. I probably shouldn't keep you long if you have other things to do. I guess I'll see you later?”</p>
<p>Momo looked confused for a second, but immediately caught on to what the sheriff said to her. “Alright then, Mr. Mao Mao,” she told him with a renewed smile, “I'll see you later.” She and her friends moved to go past the three members of the Sheriff’s Department, but before they went far, Momo stopped to face Mao Mao one more time. “Let's all have fun together, okay?” she asked him innocently.</p>
<p>Mao Mao answered her with a smile of his own, his heart feeling warmed even more as he took in the sight of this little cat who was all set to enjoy herself for this festival. After all, this was the same cat who singlehandedly fought off swarms of ghosts with a magic wand and did so alongside a hero who lived for the fight, yet still had time and room in her own heart to appreciate the joys of living, to see the value in the quieter parts of life. He continued to watch her as she then left for real.</p>
<p>“Well? You heard what the little lady said,” Badgerclops interrupted from behind, sounding almost like he had acquired blackmail. The leery tone slightly got on Mao Mao's nerves, but the badger kept going. “We're going to have fun together, right? With candy?”</p>
<p>Mao Mao wouldn't have any more of it. “Alright! Alright! There'll be candy!” he conceded, but then interrupted with one last thing when Badgerclops and Adorabat were on the middle of a 'yay’, “But only after we're done, got it?”</p>
<p>“Got it!” the badger and bat answered with a thumbs-up.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. A Ghost Among Ghosts</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  
</p><p>The sun had set even further, and more of the Sweetypies, both children and adults, were more anxious than ever to commence the main candy-hunting event. Pretty much all the tents had been set up, not just in the town plaza but even out on other surrounding streets and the neighboring grass fields. With still some time before the sun set completely and the moon rose up, some of the Sweetypies occupied themselves with playing games in the pastures.</p><p>Momo, for instance, was chasing her other two friends near the valley’s wooded areas, particularly on the grassy area right behind her school. All of them passed the remaining time until the festivities began by challenging one another to a game of tag. As of the current moment, Momo was winning by tagging a friend and evading tag-back longer than the other two. She was having so much fun that she had to actively pay attention to keeping her hat from falling off her head.</p><p>At the same time the playing was happening, a lone soul was peering out through the attic window of a rundown house at the end of the school’s backyard. To be exact, this lone soul appeared rather ghostly, like a spirit…as the soul was indeed a ghost. Now this ghost wasn’t exactly like the ones that had attacked Momo’s school before. While both had the same shape, the ones in the school were a solid white and rarely had limbs, while this lone one in the house was transparent with a tint of blue and had a pair of noodle arms. The ghost also had the distinction of being calmer and quieter than that of the more aggressive school invaders. Turning away from the window, the lonely ghost drifted over to a mirror to stare into its reflection.</p><p>Knowing it was a ghost, it was also in reflection of how its kind had been known by the non-ghostly creatures for years and years. Remembering the troubles its kind had caused for so long, not to mention their takeover attempt at the school not too long ago, made the little spirit slump. Unlike the other ghosts, this one felt no urge to destroy or invade, but as far as it knew, there were no other ghosts like it. The damage had already been done as well, so who would see this ghost any other way?</p><p>Turning its gaze to another corner of the attic, it happened upon a dusty painting from a long time ago. The image was a bit of a sensory overload to look at: images of large-sized ghosts with leery eyes and sharp teeth terrorizing little bunches of Sweetypies, sadistic grins of laughter on their faces while the Sweetypies were that of abject fear. The little bluish ghost shook its head from looking at the picture. It didn't want to be reminded of what it was, what people thought it was. Without further thought, the ghost quickly covered the painting of the scary ghosts with a small crayon drawing it made itself, one that depicted itself and a few Sweetypies playing together in peace.</p><p>The little ghost looked around. It knew that despite its friendliness, no one would be willing to stay with any ghost for longer than a few seconds. So it began scanning the attic's various piles of boxes filled with junk. During the Harvest Moon, people would go out dressed in costumes, like disguises, so the ghost figured it would wear a costume too. In no time at all, the rummaging began.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Can you believe that while touching up on this fic, I found out that Google just posted an official sequel to Magic Cat Academy? I certainly can!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. The Candy Cup Witches</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It only took about an hour or two, but Harvest Moon had officially begun. Everywhere on the plains of Pure Heart Valley was louder and livelier than it once was when the festival decorations, vendors, and other entertainment tents were being set up. Everyone was having fun, both in the energetic kind and also the safe kind, though it mainly applied to most Sweetypies. Slim Pigguns and Pinky were already running around with a roll of toilet paper in each hand.</p><p>Momo and her friends were going about the streets as normal. She and her little fox and frog friends pranced happily in their costumes. Apart from Momo's Honey costume, her frog friend was dressed as a pirate – the maritime kind – and the fox friend was dressed like a tiny cuboid robot. All three of them held their baskets at the ready, eagerly setting out to find households who would hand them lots of yummy candy at their doorsteps. The three of them didn’t get far when they noticed a familiar sight once again.</p><p>
  
</p><p>“Hi there, kids. How’s the hunt?” Mao Mao the sheriff called to them.</p><p>Momo smiled and held up her basket. “Oh, it’s off to a good start.” Mao Mao, along with Badgerclops and Adorabat behind him, peered into the basket to see a few bits of never-before-seen candies, wrapped in clear plastic – they certainly didn’t look like any kind one would find mass-produced and sold in conventional stores.</p><p>Badgerclops was already drooling from the sight of these unique confectionaries alone. “Homemade one-of-a-kinds…” he whispered, his voice and lower lip quivering and his eye glistening under the starlight as he salivated enviously. The pupil of his eye trailed over to look at Momo, who slightly fidgeted in discomfort from the way the badger’s stare appeared to pierce into the little black cat’s soul. “Can you spare a sweet?”</p><p>Momo didn’t really need to answer, though. Mao Mao was right on the scene and put himself between his badger friend and the little cat girl. “Don’t listen to him, Momo. He’s so easily overridden by things much smaller than your candy.”</p><p>Momo giggled, remembering how seriously, if not dramatically, the sheriff took even small matters out on the streets. “It’s okay. Everyone learns how to make their own candies, but I guess Muffins makes the best.”</p><p>“Ol’ Blue makes pretty good candy too,” her fox friend added.</p><p>“Yeah, he does too,” the frog friend chimed in agreement. “But I’m thinking we should stop by at Muffins’ place again after we’re done with the other houses, maybe put on another costume. You can’t get enough of her candy.” To no one’s surprise, though, he found himself being approached by Mao Mao who looked at him a bit sternly.</p><p>“Yeah, sure,” Momo sedged in with a bit of nervousness in her tone as she watched the bigger black cat intimidating her friend, “is that even legal?”</p><p>“No, it isn’t,” Mao Mao responded lowly, sounding like he was growling, “That’s costumer fraud, and there’ll be no such attempts at confectionary embezzlement while I’m sheriff.” He waved an arm to the side for emphasis on his forbidding of such a ‘criminal’ activity.</p><p>“Costumer…” Adorabat hesitantly parroted what Mao Mao said.</p><p>“…fraud?” Badgerclops finished for her.</p><p>Momo felt the need to approach the sheriff on behalf of her other two friends. “It’s okay, sheriff. We won’t do anything illegal. Besides, there’s no limit on candy in the valley.” She turned back to face the frog and little fox. “We can have candy to our hearts’ wildest content, right, Candy Cup Witches?”</p><p>In response, the two let out a joyous yell of affirmation. Mao Mao, on the other hand, looked like he just heard something new. “Candy Cup Witches?”</p><p>“That’s what we’re calling ourselves tonight,” Momo said. “We’re on a quest to get the most candy out of all other Sweetypie kids tonight, and we’re gonna win!”</p><p>“But there’s no contest,” Badgerclops warily pointed out to her, “Not that I know of.”</p><p>The frog standing behind Momo decided to answer. “That’s what’s fun about it: No rules!” He and the little fox next to him danced a little, along with Momo who was the most excited out of all three of them.</p><p>Hearing that made Badgerclops make his own giddy dance and squee in response. “Now that’s a real party! You hear that, Mao?” he looked at Mao Mao both excitedly and rather pridefully, “We’re allowed get as much candy as we want! You can’t forbid us!”</p><p>Mao Mao, as averse as he was to lawless fun, couldn’t find a way to refute Badgerclops’s mater-of-fact words spurred on by Momo and her friends’ exposition, so he took the easiest argument out, going megaphone-mode. “I’m the sheriff and I’m charged with your health and safety, so…No excess candy after dark!”</p><p>Not that it mattered, as Badgerclops, Adorabat, Momo, and her fellow Candy Cup Witches agreed with him in the most playfully insincere response conjured by their imagination.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Surprise Sweep</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>At the foot of the ramshackle house, the little lonely ghost had just finished putting on a costume. Moving out the door, it had assumed the appearance of a costume not unlike what Momo wore, only the hat on its head and robe around its body were a dark brown instead of a bright yellow. Additionally, in its hands was a scraggly broom, one that happened to be property of the school across from the house on the other side of the grass. That broom hadn’t been used for a long time – it was so old and worn out from past years of use. But the little ghost felt for sure that it could still be used. After taking a moment to look over everything else, the ghost hopped onto the broom and activated it, making it lift itself and its rider into the air and speed off, flying into town.</p><hr/><p>In the town areas, the streets were alit with light emanating from lanterns hung on ropes strung over the streets, each end tied on the second-floor window ledges of every building. On the ground level, the Sweetypies were all having fun, legally of course, which was mainly limited to shopping and helping themselves at the various snack tents.</p><p>At one snack tent managed by Penny and Benny, Badgerclops and Adorabat were already munching on a whole basket of candies like piranhas, having bought one of Penny’s and Benny’s entire stocks; normally, only a few candies were sold out of a whole basket that’s otherwise put on display, but Badgerclops had other ideas that involved shoving a double-handful of cash in the two dogs’ faces, going “TAKE ALL MA’MONEY”.</p><p>Mao Mao, on the other hand, just settled for a simple caramel-flavored candy apple, enjoying it as he would a popsicle. “Well, I do hope your hunger-craze for candy’s been sated,” he said warily after tuning his attention to the two deputies, “because we’ll be back on patrol soon.”</p><p>Badgerclops rolled his eye. “Oh, come one now, Mao,” he replied to his shorter black cat friend with a mouthful of candies, “it’s not like some monster’s gonna drop in and ruin everything as soon as we’re done talking.”</p><p>“It’s timesies!” Adorabat interjected with her own mouthful of candy.</p><p>“Hah!” Mao Mao laughed, his mouth briefly flapping open like a sock puppet to expose all his pointed teeth. “There are no timesies in the game of life, let alone heroes and monster-fighting.” He took another lick of his candy apple. “Besides, there’s more to being a hero besides the monsters. There are the little things. Trivial matters, like…” He stopped for a moment, trying to come up with some sort of little problem in society that he’s solved before, even if they were hardly worth his attention, according to him…</p><p>“Like?” Badgerclops and Adorabat continued for him, pressuring him to finish.</p><p>That made Mao Mao blow up his head at them this time. “Give a guy time to think, okay?” he exclaimed in rapid-fire. Sure enough, it seemed like the universe heard Mao Mao’s loud voice as all three members of the Sheriff’s Department were interrupted by the sound of a petit voice calling to them.</p><p>“Help! Somebody! Anybody! Please help!”</p><p>“Ah-ha! Distress!” Mao Mao yelled triumphantly. He turned to notice the source of the cry for help being the little fox dressed like a robot, running down the street looking for someone who would listen. Mao Mao wasted no time in asserting himself as the first responder, running towards the child with Adorabat and Badgerclops following him closely. “What seems to be the matter?” he asked the fox kid once they both met up close enough.</p><p>The little fox tried to catch his breath. “I think there was an accident! We were just going along some of the quieter streets and there was someone who went by us flying on a broom and they hit a tree and –” there was another brief moment of breath-catching, “Can you check it out?”</p><p>Mao Mao turned to face his deputies. “Well, you heard what the kid said. We got trouble to solve.” He took off while allowing the fox kid to lead the way, Badgerclops and Adorabat following closely behind him.</p><hr/><p>It didn’t take long for the Sheriff’s Department to reach the scene where the little fox described the recent event. In front of a tree, a bunch of clothes lying in a pile at the base of the trunk, a hat lying atop a clock which was draped over an old broken broom. The little fox, along with Momo and her frog friend, were with Mao Mao as Badgerclops and Adorabat looked the sight over and over, scanning for any possible clues.</p><p>“So you saw this robed costumer fly by you on a broom and crash into that tree?” Mao Mao clarified with the kids, jotting down the details on a notepad.</p><p>“Yeah, that’s right,” answered Momo, “but the strangest thing was that there was no big crash when the rider hit the tree. It was like the rider suddenly vanished at the last moment.”</p><p>Mao Mao fiddled with his pen for a bit after finishing his notes. “Hmm, that is quite a mystery. It almost sounds like someone just launched that broom at you kids after attaching those clothes to it. We’re probably dealing with an elaborate prankster who’s out to get screams out of the commonfolk.”</p><p>“Or maybe we’re dealing with a ghost?” Badgerclops added his two cents to the sheriff’s theorizing.</p><p>“Oh, Badgerclops, such a kidder,” Mao Mao laughed, though not as intensely as he usually was. “No way it’s a ghost. Momo here got rid of them back at her school with her powerful magic. No one’s seen a ghost for months.” He turned to address Momo herself. “You don’t think what happened was a ghost’s work, do you?”</p><p>Momo paused, a little deep in thought. “Well, we all did scream,” she muttered about herself and her friends. But she refocused her attention on Mao Mao again. “But maybe it is, maybe it isn’t. We –” she pointed at herself and the sheriff, “– dealt with all the ghosts in the school, and Madame Camille did say it was a yearly thing.”</p><p>Hearing that made Mao Mao narrow his eyes in curiosity. “Yearly how? One day a year? One month a year? A few times a year?”</p><p>“I don’t know,” Momo shrugged her shoulders. “I was only a first-year.” She turned to her frog friend. “Hey, do you know how often ghosts came in the year?”</p><p>The frog hesitated to answer. “Uh, I don’t know. One day, maybe?”</p><p>“What? How do you not know?” Momo responded in slight dismay.</p><p>“Come on, I was a first-year too! You’re the one who’s always reading more than anyone!” the frog shot back. “Where’s your wand anyway?”</p><p>Mao Mao quickly picked up that the two were starting to bicker, so he did his job as any enforcer of the peace would. “Now, now, I’m sure we can solve this mystery peacefully. Just –” he was interrupted by the sight of a familiar candy inside Momo’s basket. “Um, Momo, is that cobbler flavor you have there?”</p><p>Momo and her friend stopped arguing. Momo looked into her basket which Mao Mao had peered into seconds before. “Yeah,” she answered, “yeah, it is. Why?”</p><p>“Oh nothing,” the sheriff replied, wiping a drop of drool from his face. “Just wanted to see if there were any treats worth hunting for.” He turned away from the kids to regroup with Adorabat and Badgerclops who were already playing a bit of dress up with the fallen costume, though Badgerclops expressed disappointment when he tried to fly on the old broom but found it easily broken. “Guys, can you not play with the evidence?” he pinched the bridge of his nose. The two seemed to take his exasperated request in stride. Before leaving with them, he turned back to face Momo one more time. “If you like, maybe I could join you and the Candy Cup Witches while you're still candy-hunting. I do have a favorite sweet, as it turns out.”</p><p>Momo smiled. “Sure, sheriff Mao Mao. I'll wait for you at…” she thought for a moment, then finished, “…the school.”</p><p>Mao Mao smiled back, turning away to leave. Though the investigation didn't continue first without Badgerclops joking to him about having a change of heart about candy-hunting with the kids, which Mao Mao aggressively tried to downplay.</p><p>
  
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Over Wraps</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Back in the attic of the rundown house, the little ghost was having a little moment of lament. It couldn't believe the simple foolish mistake it made when it was outside in Pure Heart Valley. It all started out simple:</p><p>
  <em>Dressed up, the ghost rode the flying broom and zipped by the three costumed kids once it saw them. When the ghost got the kids to see it, it gave a wave with one of its hands to say hi…but it should have been watching where it was flying, as without realizing it until it was too late, it flew right into a tree. Due to being a ghost, the spirit didn't notice anything at all until it noticed itself completely bare of its costume and broom. The spirit had to quickly return into hiding, even while hearing the kids yell and run away in fright from the mess it left behind.</em>
</p><p>Returning to the mirror, the ghost took another long look at itself. From all the years it, along with other fellow ghosts, got to see the living world whenever the people of the living weren't coming across them and reacting in fright, there was something beautiful about it. The trees, the mountains, the grass, the sky…one could understand why this world was so desirable. But it didn't feel right that the ghost should lived in it if it meant being driven out again and again by the ones who lived there already. The ghost understood that they were only afraid because of the bad ghosts hurting them first, but this one wasn't a bad ghost, as far as it knew. But it loved the world too much to just leave.</p><p>Searching through the piles of junk, the ghost searched for another costume, one that wasn't as risky to use as the one it wore before.</p><hr/><p>It was back at the grassy field next to the magic school that Momo and her friends regrouped, having collected a full basket's worth of candies each.</p><p>“You sure the sheriff will find us here?” the pirate frog asked his black cat friend.</p><p>“Of course he will,” Momo answered with confidence. “I already told him where we’ll wait for him when we finished our candy hunt and he said he'd come with us to pass the time on his -ahem- investigation.”</p><p>“Yeah, I'm sure,” the little fox friend laughed alongside her. “From what Mr. Badger said, the sheriff's only coming with us for the cobbler-flavored candy in your basket.”</p><p>Momo laughed as well. “Yeah, that makes sense. But he did say he’d earn the candy from the Sweetypies giving them away, not us. So our candy’s safe.”</p><p>“I can see it now,” the frog friend joked, “he’ll probably be going right into every house for the cobbler candy while saying he has a warrant, or something.”</p><p>Momo added one last bit to the frog's joke, “Well, he better hope he has one if he's going to Farmer Bun's.”</p><p>
  
</p><p>The three kids were shortly interrupted by the official arrival of the sheriff and his deputies. From what they could glimpse of the group ahead of them, Mao Mao was still arguing with Badgerclops. The badger was teasing the black cat over his hypocrisy about never getting off work to go candy-hunting with kids, while said black cat was loudly clarifying that he was working while getting a candy bonus. Badgerclops was already getting on Mao Mao’s case about not allowing him the same luxury earlier, to which Mao Mao again tried to make an excuse for. Adorabat tried to play the mediator between the two, appealing to Mao Mao by saying it's okay to have some candy and fun while out on patrol, and to Badgerclops by saying that they already had candy before work anyway.</p><p>After a few seconds of watching the spectacle, Momo decided to approach them first. “Hi everyone,” she said to the three after walking right up to them and interrupting their dialogue. As expected, all three of them quieted down.</p><p>Mao Mao was quick to be the first one to speak for his group. “Hello again, Momo,” he began after clearing his throat and putting his hands behind his back. “Sorry for the commotion. Sometimes, partners can have a hard time agreeing on things.” He let his eyes wandered a bit in Badgerclops’s direction, who returned the gaze with a pouty one of his own.</p><p>“It's fine,” Momo reassured. “You wanna get started?” Mao Mao got ready to answer but was swiftly interrupted by Badgerclops shoving himself right over the cat, putting a hand over him like he was foliage to be pushed aside to the point that Mao Mao felt squished.</p><p>“Yes! Yes, let's go!” the badger exclaimed ravenously, ignoring Mao Mao under him.</p><p>Momo backed away nervously from the badger's insane demands for sweets. “Okay then,” she eased in her speech, unaware of a creaking sound creeping up closer to get and her group from behind, “Well, we can start at the foot of the Ruby Pure Heart spire and make our way to Muffins –”</p><p>*<em>rrrrr</em> – PACHOONG!*</p><p>All six people jumped, startled by the sound of something unwinding and zinging in the air above, culminating in some wooden crash. They all looked up to find that whatever made the sudden around was no longer in sight, but they did catch the spectacles of long white cloth strips floating gently down before landing on the roofs of the school and several other houses outside the school grounds. Some of the strips of cloth even landed on the people themselves, leaving them somewhat draped.</p><p>Mao Mao didn't hesitate to sweep the stray pieces of cloth off his head and shoulders. “Full alert, team!” he dramatically got into sheriff-mode, taking a survey of the now messy-looking rooftops of the nearby neighborhood, “Looks like we were pranked!”</p><p>“Hey now, Mao. I'm sure it's just all in good fun,” Badgerclops humorously begged to differ.</p><p>But Mao Mao wasn’t having it. “There's nothing fun about personal property getting vandalized with a mass toilet paper trap!” He turned back to the main town areas of the valley. “This must be Pinky's doing,” he growled.</p><p>“Dude, how do you know that?” Badgerclops asked.</p><p>“Just a hunch,” was Mao Mao’s answer. He turned to both Badgerclops and Adorabat. “You guys, check out the area around the school for clues. I'll be going further out.” Without giving them time to argue, he turned to leave for the urban areas.</p><p>But the two deputies did attempt to snag him back with a few words. “Where are you gonna be?” Adorabat asked first.</p><p>“And who’s gonna watch Momo and her friends?” Badgerclops added without hesitation, already feeling suspicious of Mao Mao’s motives for splitting up.</p><p>“Why, I am,” Mao Mao answered without a second chance, feeling smug that he could provide a proper answer to Badgerclops’s probing question as though he was aware of why his badger friend was asking to begin with. “I’m saving you and Adorabat the trouble of having to babysit dear Momo and her friends here.” He capped off his statement with a toothy grin and sauntered away, beckoning Momo and her other two friends to follow him. Just before he got too far away, he gave one last bit of information to the two. “I’ll see you back at Town Square!”</p><p>Badgerclops and Adorabat watched Mao Mao walk off with the kids back into town while they were still left behind at the school. Badgerclops muttered under his breath in an incoherent grouchy tone before turning his attention to Adorabat. “Well, come on, Adorabat. Let’s go find this prankster he’s making us wander around for.”</p><p>“Okay,” Adorabat concurred as she flew alongside the bigger badger. As they began their little round search trip, she made a comment of her own. “Well, the main pie event hasn’t happened yet. We still have a few hours.”</p><p>“Yeah sure, just a few agonizing food-deprived hours,” Badgerclops groaned while facing away from the little bat. Just then, he heard a ping and felt his phone vibrate, prompting him to pull his phone out of one of the pouches of his bandolier. Both he and Adorabat leaned in closer to look at the screen to find a text from Mao Mao:</p><p>“I’ll save you a little something.” *<em>winking-emoji</em>*</p><p>Badgerclops nearly threw his phone the first second his eye graced the text, while Adorabat knew well enough to fly away from him. “WHY, THAT LITTLE –” the badger shrieked, “I KNEW IT!”</p>
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<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Haunted Housewarming</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The little ghost fluttered in the attic once again, slumped over its second costume failure. It was so close that time.</p><p>
  <em>Initially, it dressed up as a mummy, wrapping itself in long white ribbons of cloth until it felt sufficiently covered. It figured it didn’t need to fly very far when it noticed the kids, along with one another plus two adults, standing in the field just across from its house, so it made its way outside without further hesitation. Going out the door, the mummy-wrapped ghost drifted closer and closer to the group of fun-lovers but realized too late that one particular piece of cloth in its costume had snagged with something back in the house. By that time, the ghost was within reach – touching distance – of the people outside and turned away at the moment, but was slowly pulled away by the stuck and stretched cloth before culminating in a spring-loaded unwind and launched right into the air. By the time it landed right back into the safety of its house’s attic, the rest of its costume became undone and fluttered down onto the other houses outside, leaving quite a mess.</em>
</p><p>The ghost, seeing no other way, returned to the attic junk, hoping to again find a costume that would both keep it well disguised and last much longer and better than the last two.</p><hr/><p>Outside, Adorabat was witnessing a lot of drama from Badgerclops as they finished most of the area they were searching. Badgerclops, on that note, was practically storming as he made his way towards the back of the school's backyard. “I can't believe Mao would do this to us,” he growled, “going off with kids who have fun and treats while we're stuck working ourselves tired and hungry…”</p><p>“Badgerclops, we already had a whole basket of candies from Penny and Benny a while ago,” Adorabat pointed out. “It’d be nice to have more candy but maybe we don't need 'em that bad…”</p><p>“True, Adorabat, but the real question is what sort of candies we’re missing out on,” Badgerclops gently refuted. “We had lots of cinnamon and cobbler candies, but what about the carrot candies? And pumpkin pie?” He sighed at that last part.</p><p>“You really like pumpkin pie, do you?” Adorabat giggled.</p><p>“Only the best,” the badger affirmed with pride, “especially when it's made from the pumpkin raised with love and care by our respected Farmer Bun.” The two made their way to one location they hadn't scoured yet, which was a dark, rundown little house at the other side of the school's backyard that evidently served as a sort of toolshed for the school's custodian.</p><p>“That looks like a pretty old house,” Adorabat commented once they got close. “I didn't know Momo’s school had that.”</p><p>Badgerclops simply shrugged. “Me too. Makes me wonder if someone lived in there before. It looks pretty old.” At first, nothing else happened as both he and the bat were now standing on the porch. “It doesn't look like anyone’s taken care of it for a long time. Barely looks used too.”</p><p>Adorabat watched Badgerclops grab the handle of the front door and tug at it, expressing surprise that it was unlocked. “You think it's haunted by a ghost?” she insinuated with a dark glee.</p><p>“I wish,” Badgerclops laughed, stepping inside and allowing the bat to follow him in. “Momo and Mao Mao got rid of all of them months ago. If there is one, I'm not sure how we’ll find it.”</p><p>The two began their search, looking through the few but cluttered rooms that composed the house-that-was-a-shack. There was nothing special about any of them on the first and second floors, so there was nowhere else left to go but the attic. Badgerclops stepped up the creaky stairs while Adorabat flew up there ahead of him, leading them both to a quiet narrow room filled with boxes of junk along with other assorted items.</p><p>“Wow, there's a whole lot of stuff in this part of the house,” Adorabat gasped, looking over all the varieties of things that she was sure she hadn’t seen before. “It's kinda like how we had stuff in our attic.”</p><p>Badgerclops concurred as he looked over the room with his own eye as well, though he also rolled it. “Yeah. If Mao was here,” he said that part lowly between his teeth, “he’d say this place needs a decluttering.” He walked right up to the circular window at the end of the attic room, looking out of it to gaze at the school building ahead outside. “I really hope we make it back in time for the pie-cutting at Town Square.”</p><p>Adorabat occupied her time with a tall mirror that stood in the middle of the room, its reflective surface facing the window that Badgerclops stood in front of. There wasn't anything out of the ordinary as she only saw the room, herself, and Badgerclops reflected back at her. She did, however, notice the reflection of a painting sitting just at the side of the room. She looked back to see the painting itself, noticing the depiction of frightening ghosts and fearful Sweetypies below.</p><p>
  <em>The sight reminded her all too well of the incident at the school that happened months ago. While it was technically Momo and Mao Mao who saved the day, she and Badgerclops helped too. It was mostly thanks to Badgerclops’s inventiveness that got them both the glory, though Adorabat also had her moments using her powerful screaming voice and versatility with a broom; she was proud to have figured out the flying broom first, even if Badgerclops was the one who rode it out of the school after the invasion was thwarted.</em>
</p><p>Adorabat turned her eyes from the painting back to the mirror to look at its reflection again, but noticed that there looked like an extra pair of eyes on the painting, particularly on the part that showed the ghosts. She turned back to the painting to find nothing of the sort. It was unchanged. She looked back at the mirror to see that the painting’s reflection still had the suspicious pair of eyes. Adorabat looked back and forth multiple times, confirming to herself that this strange sight was limited to only the mirror.</p><p>“Um, Badgerclops?” Adorabat said hesitantly, tapping the badger on the shoulder. She waited until he turned around from the window, then pointed at the mirror. “I think there's something watching us.”</p><p>Badgerclops turned to look at the mirror that Adorabat was talking about, looking at it to see the same painting reflected on its surface. Both the reflection and the painting itself appeared normal. There was nothing to suggest anything out of the ordinary. “Uh, what am I looking at here?”</p><p>“There's another pair of eyes on the painting that's looking at us!” Adorabat insisted, holding Badgerclops’s head in the direction of the mirror. Adorabat even pointed a wing at the part of the painting she saw the eyes on for good measure, making sure the badger was looking where the frightening ghost depictions were positioned.</p><p>Badgerclops still couldn't see anything unusual apart from the art style used for the painting’s visuals. “Adorabat, it's just a painting!” he tried to reassure the bat, however frustrated he sounded. “Sure it looks like it's watching you, but that's how they're done. Artists are just crazy that way!” He then looked at the painting again as he kept talking to Adorabat. “If you think those painted pupils are pointed at you, it's just a trick of the light. It's only your ima –”</p><p>One of the ghosts in the painting blinked.</p><p>Badgerclops and Adorabat screamed their lungs out.</p>
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<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Two-Way Shriek</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Out in one of the residential streets of Pure Heart Valley, Mao Mao helped himself to a cobbler-flavored candy obtained (legally) from the doorstep of a Sweetypie's house. Surprisingly enough, he observed Momo and her two friends legitimately go up to those same houses they visited before to receive a second helping of candy.</p><p>Part of him couldn't fathom how kids could get candy from houses they've been to more than once. As far as he felt and understood, it just wasn't proper. But if Momo was enjoying it, then Mao Mao could be sure it wasn't all bad. He admittedly would have stopped this behavior had it been some other Sweetypie, but ever since he befriended Momo, he learned to take these people's quirks more in stride, even if he had yet to understand them more fully.</p><p>But now wasn’t the time to get cozy with Momo right now. There was a prankster on the loose who just committed the crime of vandalism by toilet paper and he had to find out who. While he was searching because he needed evidence and anyone who might have done was still innocent until proven guilty, he had a good feeling it had to be Pinky…or Slim Pigguns…or both…or maybe someone else entirely. Either way, he had to investigate, since he was the sheriff and all.</p><p>He couldn’t help but stay close to Momo as he allowed her to lead him through the neighborhood, getting a second helping of candy from each resident while giving the sheriff a turn to do the same, even giving him some from her basket as she technically got extra. He was indulging her in allowing her to be his guide for the whole festival experience, but at the same time, he was just being his own protective self. After all, even when remembering her fighting off legions of ghosts with a magic wand, she was still a little girl. It wouldn’t be in good character to just leave her unattended – he was a gentleman, not just a hero.</p><p>He cleared his thoughts once he noticed Momo and her friends stop at the doorstep of the most recently visited house. “So, who will be giving us candy here?” he asked Momo.</p><p>“You’ll see,” Momo answered him with a wink and grin. Everyone waited for the door to open after the doorbell had been rung. Upon witnessing the door open, Mao Mao was surprised to find Ol’ Blue, the blue-furred dog-Sweetypie, being the resident.</p><p>“Hello,” Blue greeted in his usual tired and somber tone, “back for more treats?”</p><p>“Yeah, we are,” Momo nodded. “But this time, we brought the sheriff along for a treat too!”</p><p>Blue looked past Momo in Mao Mao’s direction, seeing the bigger black cat behind her trying his best to take the interaction as modestly as he was willing. “Oh, hello Mao Mao. Finally having fun?”</p><p>Hearing him ask something so inherently endearing if not affectionate made Mao Mao flinch. “O-of course not!” he turned his head away with a harsh huff, trying and failing to mask a blush on his cheeks while he had his arms crossed over each other. “I'm here to provide supervision for Momo and her friends here while they’re out enjoying the celebration.” Momo appeared to give the sheriff a funny look, as though there was something discrepant in his statement.</p><p>“Is that so?” Blue gently asked further. “These kids looked rather safe without you the first time they came to my house.”</p><p>“Yeah, well things change!” Mao Mao hastily tried to backtrack. He figured he'd rather not beat around the bush any longer. “I'm here on an investigation into an incident of mass toilet paper vandalism. I just need to ask a few questions.”</p><hr/><p>Back in the ramshackle house behind the school, a badger and bat were frenetically going from corner to corner of the attic, trying to catch an outed ghost.</p><p>“Gotta aim this thing,” Badgerclops panicked to himself as he tried to simultaneously adjust his robot arm to ghost catcher-mode while keeping the flying ghost in his line of fire.</p><p>Adorabat did her best to keep the ghost from leaving the house for the outside by flying into its path and screaming at it with her powerful voice, continually scaring it back inside like a wolf to sheep. She kept it up long enough for Badgerclops to finally load his ghost-catching gadget and shoot it at the ghost, encasing it in the familiar spherical orb of glowing light-blue energy that acted as an ectoplasmic net. No longer able to move, the captured spirit fell to the wooden floor.</p><p>“Score!” Badgerclops boasted confidently, deactivating his mechanical arm. “Mao’s gonna owe me handsomely for this one!” He took a step closer to the ensnared ghost, which shivered and tried to cower away from the larger badger.</p><p>Adorabat appeared to notice the odd behavior of the ghost she and Badgerclops caught. “Look at how scared of us that ghost is,” she giddily informed Badgerclops. “Maybe it remembers how we kicked its friends’ butts back at the school!”</p><p>Badgerclops nodded in equal satisfaction and agreement. “Now what to do with you?” he missed out loud, intended for the ghost to hear. Indeed, the ghost heard what he said and trembled some more inside its trap. He took a few seconds to try and think of a few possible ways he could use the taste trapped ghost in his hands.</p><p>Apart from the ghost being the most likely culprit of the toilet paper incident that Mao Mao was investigating, it was also the first ghost they've seen since the day the rest were neutralized – that alone made that a rarity at that moment. Neither Badgerclops or Adorabat didn't feel particularly willing to hand it over to Camille and Honey this time, and he was already putting his inner creative genius to work in coming up with ways he could use the ghost to prank Mao Mao as payback for making him miss out on the better parts of Harvest Moon, though he still had time before the pie-cutting  at Town Square.</p><p>Badgerclops reached over to pick up the trapped ghost, and saw it trembled more intensely the moment he touched it. For a moment, it made him start thinking. When he caught ghosts back at the school, both the ones in the building and the boss ghost on the rooftop, they were all aggressive and fierce-looking, having angry eyes and sharp teeth expressing an intent to hurt and scare. But this particular ghost looked more frightened than frightening, plus its eyes were soft and had no sharp teeth. This ghost, in comparison to the others from months past, looked harmless.</p><p>“Hey Badgerclops!” Adorabat called out. Badgerclops turned to look where Adorabat was, seeing her standing on a tall stack of boxes next to a dusty old painting. Both the bat and badger could see right away that it showed the image of scary ghosts terrorizing Sweetypies, but what grabbed their attention the most was the small crayon drawing of a ghost playing with a couple children attached to the painting’s canvas. Now that was the biggest clue.</p><p>Surprisingly, Adorabat was the first one to get the hint. She flapped her wings and hovered next to the frightened ghost. “Did you draw that?” she asked the spirit about the crayon picture, since she also liked to draw with crayon on her free time. The ghost nodded slowly. Adorabat went back and took the drawing off the painting, showing it to the ghost. “You don't like scaring people?” she asked again. The ghost shook its head.</p><p>Adorabat turned to Badgerclops. “Maybe we should let this ghost go,” she recommended.</p><p>“Go?” Badgerclops scoffed. “Adorabat, there are a hundred different uses for a ghost this rare. And I still wanna see how Mao –”</p><p>He was cut short by the sight of Adorabat looking at him with a sullen expression in her eyes, looking almost glassy. She was also accompanied by the ghost inside the energy net looking at him as well, its eyes widened and almost teary, as though it was begging the badger to be spared. Badgerclops couldn't believe what he was seeing. “Oh no,” he said slowly and resistantly, “No, I'm not doing this.” The pitiful begging looks continued, getting more intense and concentrated, but Badgerclops continued to resist. “No. Nuh-uh. No! No…”</p>
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<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Mao on a Roll</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Mao Mao popped another cobbler candy in his mouth as soon as he finished the candy before that. “I had no idea Blue could even make tea-flavored candies,” he told Momo when the group stopped at a grassy forest clearing that was home to a couple bare and gnarly trees.</p><p>“Like I said, Mr. Mao Mao. We Sweetypies can make candy out of anything,” Momo replied with yet another wink.</p><p>Mao Mao rolled his eyes. “<em>And I suppose you can turn lead into candy too,</em>” he thought. He thought about sitting down on the grass with Momo to both relax and look over the notes he compiled over the house visits he made in his investigation. But before he could do anything, his ear twitched at the sound of rustling vegetation. He got right into battle mode, drawing out his golden sword. “Momo, get behind me!” he commanded, scanning the area for who or what was in the vicinity.</p><p>Momo didn't react immediately, but her frog and fox friends obeyed, rushing immediately to the cover of the sheriff's cape. Mao Mao kept watching, and then saw to his satisfaction, Pinky hightailing out of a patch of shrubs to run to a random house, snickering out loud to no one despite being within hearing range of the sheriff himself. Mao Mao felt excitement rushing through his veins, as this was what he had been waiting for the whole night.</p><p>“Now I got you,” Mao Mao grinned, even laughing in pleasure. Without another moment’s notice, he pounced off the ground and sprinted straight for Pinky. But of course, Pinky had to notice the sheriff's presence, breaking into a sprint himself to get away. “Pinky!” Mao Mao yelled. “You are under arrest for vandalism and egregious wasting of essential items! Come quietly or else!”</p><p>“Never!” Pinky shouted back, ducking around a corner.</p><p>Mao Mao noticed ribbons of white cloth trailing out of Pinky's hands. He traced around every part of the streets and alleys where Pinky ran through until he got close enough. Mao Mao took a flying leap, maintaining his trajectory until he landed right on the pink rhino Sweetypie, pinning him down on the cobblestone pavement. “Okay, criminal!” he growled. “Time to pay for your damages. Where’d you steal all that toilet paper? How'd you commit your crime?”</p><p>“Get off me! I'll never tell!” Pinky screeched defiantly.</p><p>“Oh, maybe you will after I bring you to the station,” Mao Mao fired back.</p><p>Pinky tried hard to wrest himself free from the sheriff's grip, until he came up with some other crazy idea. “Hey Slim! I'm over here! Get the sheriff off me!”</p><p>Mao Mao jolted at the sound of Slim Pigguns being called out for, since he was the other suspected perpetrator he had his sights on. Unfortunately, he realized a second too late that Slim was actually nowhere to be found and Pinky used that brief distraction to buck him off, not enough to knock Mao Mao off his feet, but got enough space to shuffle his way out of the sheriff's weighted hold and take off again.</p><p>Mao Mao was livid once he recovered his bearings. “Pinky!” he roared. “You lying – get back here!” He got back on his feet to chase after him again, but Pinky had gotten enough time to put more distance between himself and the sheriff by winding through several more alley corners. Mao Mao would have definitely lost Pinky for sure if it wasn't for a stream of sparkles zipping past him and following Pinky's trail until it ended with Pinky making a shout of pain in the distance.</p><p>Mao Mao had no idea what just happened, so he figured he would find out by racing to where he was sure Pinky fell. Sure enough, he found Pinky lying on the ground in his front, feverishly nursing his pained backside. Mao Mao wondered why Pinky was like this until he heard footsteps behind him, prompting him to turn around to see Momo with her wand in her hand, raised and pointed in Pinky's direction.</p><p>“You’re welcome, Mr. Sheriff,” Momo told Mao Mao with a sly cheeriness in her tone.</p><p>“Momo, you had your wand the whole time?” Mao Mao asked almost quietly but incredulously. “You could have stopped him any time you wanted?”</p><p>Momo twirled her wand as she answered him, sounding a teensy bit guilty, “Well technically, I got my wand back when we were waiting for you at the school. I figured I ought to if I was going to make myself useful with you for the flying broom mystery, so I made use of my extra time.”</p><p>“Then why didn't you stop Pinky sooner?” Mao Mao narrowed his eyes, expressing a bit of suspicion and disappointment.</p><p>Momo swayed on her feet a little, looking in other directions as though she was blatantly feigning innocence. “Just thought I'd let you go first, see if you still got the 'non-magic' hero strength down,” she said ever so teasingly.</p><p>“Oh, don't you talk to me like that,” Mao Mao muttered, trying to sound offended and disciplinary when he really was just flustered.</p>
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<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Wearin' the Spirit</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Adorabat and Badgerclops watched the ghost closely and silently while said ghost floating across from them did the same. None of them spoke, or at least just Adorabat and Badgerclops, since the ghost itself didn’t appear to make sounds at all, let alone talk. Both the bat and badger wondered if it was a good idea at all to release the ghost and see what happened.</p><p>“I really hope you’re right about this, Adorabat,” Badgerclops told the bat.</p><p>“Me too,” Adorabat said in response, “If I’m wrong, then I’ll never try out being nice again.”</p><p>“Maybe don’t go that far,” Badgerclops gave a little laugh, even sweating a bit from the little bat’s feral attitude. He turned back to face the little ghost which continued to hover above the messy wooden floor, looking at him and Adorabat without a word. Since he already was forced to let the ghost out of the trap he put it in before, he figured he may as well make the best out of it; if the ghost tried to do anything suspicious, he could just trap it again. Badgerclops leaned in a little closer to the ghost, causing the spirit to back away slightly in response.</p><p>“Whoa there,” he said in his best indoor voice, lifting his hands in front of him to show he had nothing on him, “I’m not gonna trap you again. I mean, I let you out.” Badgerclops felt himself running out of important things to say, fast, so he thought he’d better make use of the one important question he still had left. “You, uh, like drawing?” he pointed at the crayon drawing still on the ghostly painting.</p><p>The ghost looked the direction of Badgerclops’s pointed finger, glancing at the drawing. It nodded.</p><p>Badgerclops mentally marked a check on his metaphorical checklist. “Okay, that’s a clue.” He then looked left and right to examine the other loads of discarded junk in boxes and under tarps scattered about the attic room. “Are you all alone up here?” The ghost nodded again. Badgerclops marked another mental check. “What were you doing?”</p><p>The ghost turned away and drifted towards a random box. Badgerclops watched while Adorabat got ready for a fight. But they were both left surprised and confused yet again when they observed the ghost bend over and rummage through that box to pull out a random set of clothes. They then further observed the ghost put those clothes onto its own spectral body, already notably questioning how a transparent nonphysical being could be able to wear clothes without having them fall straight through. Both of them could already get a clue from the way the now-dressed ghost was looking itself over in front of the mirror.</p><p>“Why are you trying to wear clothes?” came Adorabat’s turn to question the ghost. The ghost didn’t say anything but floated back to the crayon picture, which illustrated itself side-by-side with a couple Sweetypie children dressed in similar fashion that was meant to signify a less-than-ordinary occasion. Adorabat was absolutely sure she saw the pictured children holding baskets, similar to the ones Momo and her friends held. That’s when it made sense. “Were you dressing up for Harvest Moon?” The ghost not only nodded, but also danced around in the air, doing a loop in the process. That told her all she needed. “Badgerclops! I think it wants to go out candy-hunting too!”</p><p>“As if we needed more competition for candies,” Badgerclops folded his arms, muttering to no one, “I bet that ghost can’t even eat.” He looked away just as the ghost switched out one outfit for another, looking itself over in the mirror. Adorabat was also examining the ghost as well.</p><p>“Well, I don’t think this ghost wants to hurt anyone,” Adorabat noted. “You saw the crayon drawing.” When Badgerclops still didn’t respond, Adorabat occupied a few more seconds of her time by looking through the ghost’s junk.</p><p>She was briefly startled by the ghost rushing over to her and attempting to shoo her away from its things. “Hey! Back off!” she screeched fiercely. This frightened the ghost enough to back away, but Adorabat calmed down right after seeing that the ghost was already wearing a colorful and different-looking hat. “Oh, I’m sorry,” she told the ghost more politely. “I thought you were going to hurt me.” She didn’t quite expect the ghost to actually look sad, and it made her feel bad compared to fighting monsters that never expressed a lick of emotion.</p><p>She took it upon herself to make up for her outburst by quickly finding a discarded knight’s helmet in another random box. Without giving the ghost time to turn around, she rapidly placed the helmet over the ghost’s head. The ghost turned to her, feeling a bit startled after what she did, but then turned back to the mirror to have a look at itself wearing the helmet.</p><p>Adorabat watched with anticipation as the ghost took its time, but then deflated upon the ghost turning back to her and shaking its head. “Phooey! I thought you ghosts liked knights,” Adorabat huffed. She went over to another box. But before she started rummaging again, she noticed Badgerclops fooling around with a random piece of junk from another box further to the back of the room. “Badgerclops!” she called to him, “Help me find a costume!”</p><p>Badgerclops jumped a little from not expecting Adorabat’s sudden use of her outdoor voice, and then looked at the ghost next to her. “Adorabat, you sure it’s a good idea to be helping this ghost get out in public? I mean, there are plenty more Sweetypies out there who aren’t as understanding of ghosts as we are.”</p><p>Adorabat examined a dusty fairy wand. “Well, I’m smart enough to see that the ghost doesn’t wanna scare us. Besides, the ghost is friendly.” She then picked up a clown wig. “Haven’t you played dress-up before?”</p><p>Badgerclops turned away nervously. “Well, I did, but…” he refused to talk any further. He took a look at the ghost himself, examining its every feature and mannerism to see if Adorabat was right on the mark about what she said it was. Sure enough, he didn’t see any way the ghost could be a threat, only that it was harmlessly going through the costumes it and Adorabat chose together, swapping one outfit for another over its spectral body. That gave him an idea. “Hey Adorabat, you think we could get that ghost to hold all our candy while we hold extra?”</p><p>That got the little bat intrigued. She turned to face the ghost as it was trying on a full-body suit shaped like a flying saucer. “Can you hold candy in you?” she asked it.</p><p>The ghost paused, thinking about what it had been asked, and even poked at itself to test the limits of its tangibility. It didn’t quite know the answer and it could sense that Adorabat and Badgerclops were getting the impression it did not, so the spirit hastily grabbed at anything small in the nearest junk pile to change their minds as soon as it could. The ghost did manage to grab a few marbles after a few seconds of scrambling. Without wasting another moment, the ghost shoved them into its transparent form and let go, concentrating on preventing the marbles from falling all the way down. The effort proved more difficult than expected, as the spirit tried to put quite an amount of energy into maintaining some kind of tangibility around the marbles, but it rapidly got easier. After a second or two, the ghost saw that the marbles floated effortlessly inside itself, proving to the badger and bat that it could indeed hold little things in its body.</p><p>The positive confirmation was more than good enough for Badgerclops. “That is so perfect!” he giggled with childish gladness while Adorabat and the ghost didn’t quite know what to think of that. But Badgerclops wasn’t paying attention, not that he cared at the moment as he still processed the just-recent revelation. Rather, he was already knee-deep into a couple stacks of boxes containing unused costumes, digging through the items like he was in a hurry.</p><p>Adorabat and the ghost were still stuck thinking about why the badger was behaving so erratically at the moment. It took Badgerclops himself noticing them doing nothing at the moment to snap them out of their stupor using his voice alone. “Hey, Adorabat! Help me find a costume for our little ghost, will’ya?”</p>
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<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Taking Off The Sugarcoat</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Down at an empty shack loaned by the Sweetypies, Mao Mao was conducting his interrogation.</p><p>“So, Pinky,” he began, “As you know, you’re here because you’re under suspicion of vandalism regarding toilet paper, a crime which you’ve easily branded yourself guilty for with the presence of rolls in your hands!” He slammed an unused roll of toilet paper onto the table for emphasis.</p><p>While the action indeed startled Pinky, it didn’t really register in his head that Mao Mao could do anything to him under the federal laws of Pure Heart Valley. After all, he didn’t care at all what happened as a result of his actions. However, in this situation, he had no idea what the sheriff was talking about. “Yeah, that wasn’t me,” he responded in his characteristic nonchalance, “so I literally don’t know what you’re talking about.”</p><p>“Ah, of course. Keep denying the obvious truth in front of you,” Mao Mao hissed. “With your propensity for causing chaos and whatnot, you compulsively absolve yourself of any responsibility.” He then took the toilet paper roll and shoved it closer to Pinky. “What do you have to say for yourself?”</p><p>“That I’m not the only one who enjoys this kind of thing?” Pinky wildly guessed while reclining himself on his metal chair with his hands behind his head.</p><p>“Oh, so you’re going to keep denying it,” Mao Mao glowered more intensely. He put a hand on the table and leaned closer at Pinky in a similarly relaxed posture. “Like who? Slim Pigguns?”</p><p>“Maybe?” was Pinky’s sole reply. “Ask him, not me.”</p><p>Mao Mao huffed at the lack of a straight answer from the troublemaking Sweetypie. He had to resort to more drastic measures. “Oh, I already talked to him, and he tells me that you took all his toilet paper from behind his back.” He made sure to play the part well by sitting on the table next to Pinky, even pretending to examine his manicure. “Unlike you, Slim doesn’t have the reputation of a repetitive willful troublemaker, so what reason have I got to believe you over him?” He leaned in even closer to Pinky’s face, relishing his increasingly tense and sweaty expression that included him biting his lower lip. He was now on the home stretch. “I’m sure Pure Heart Valley’s pie-cutting ceremony would go off without a certain pink Sweetypie for a hitch…”</p><p>Pinky couldn’t take it anymore. “No! No, please! I swear it wasn’t me!” he cried out in absolute earnest, completely devoid of the smug demeanor he usually expressed. “I only TP’ed two and a half houses when I saw a ghost flying around leaving trails of white paper stuff all over a bunch of other houses. I’m not lying, I swear!”</p><p>That definitely threw Mao Mao for a loop there a bit. “Bah! A ghost? You’re going to have to try harder than that to make me give you mercy.”</p><p>But once again, Pinky bounced back from begging to sincere insistence. “No, really! I saw a ghost! It was flying in front of the moon with a trail of white cloth behind it! It came from behind that magic school!” He then jumped off his chair and landed on the table on his knees with his hands held and shaken together in front of the startled sheriff. “Please, I swear it’s the truth and nothing but the truth! Please don’t boot me from the pie party!”</p><p>Mao Mao said nothing, as he was officially out of ways to get the answer he wanted. It seemed that he may as well move forward with the rest of the investigation.</p><hr/><p>Momo and her friends waited outside the shack, wondering how long it was going to take for Mao Mao to finish his ‘interrogation’. They passed the time by playing catch with few of the candies from their baskets, even occasionally counting how many of each ingredient or flavor they had in their possession in categories. Eventually, Momo heard Mao Mao coming out the door, so she and her friends got right to him.</p><p>“So, is Pinky guilty?” Momo spoke first.</p><p>Mao Mao first replied with a visual display of exasperation, pinching the brow between his eyes as a temporary stress reliever. “Well, Pinky’s a troublemaker and usually a just-as-easy squealer, but he’s sticking with the same story, surprisingly enough considering how honest he was being.”</p><p>“What did he say?”</p><p>“He claimed a ghost TP’ed all the houses back near the school and that he saw it flying through the air,” Mao Mao huffed, his arms crossed. “Like he would try and pull the ghost card. He never takes responsibilities for his own mischief…”</p><p>Momo looked at Mao Mao with concern, feeling for the sheriff’s need for enforcing justice and the law, but like everyone else, felt that he was taking this a little too hard. Now she wasn’t an expert on knowing everybody in Pure Heart Valley, but she’s familiar enough with Pinky’s antics that she could gauge them realistically. Pinky was only a small Sweetypie who didn’t have the physical abilities as the Sheriff’s Department did. From what she saw back at the scene of the ‘crime’, there were multiple strands of what she thought was toilet paper falling from the sky. It stood to reason that perhaps this time, Pinky wasn’t lying.</p><p>“You know, sheriff? I don’t think Pinky was lying to you.”</p><p>“What?” was Mao Mao’s response, having approached Momo rapidly in semi-disbelief. “You’re seriously thinking Pinky, of all Sweetypies, is innocent of this kind of crime?”</p><p>“Well, think about it. Pinky’s too small to be able to launch loads of toilet paper over a whole bunch of houses, and it’s doubtful he’s smart enough to find a way to either. Maybe he’s not lying this time?”</p><p>Mao Mao thought long and carefully, maintaining eye contact with Momo when he noticed her continuing to stare up at him. He sighed. “Okay, then. What if it was a ghost?”</p><p>“Well, there’s nothing else to suggest it isn’t,” Momo answered. “Madam Camille always said that the ghosts at our school were an annual problem, but we should be prepared for anything. In my opinion, a ghost should be doing more than just dunking toilet paper to be dangerous.”</p><p>“But how can that be?” Mao Mao turned away to walk in some other direction, swaying his cape. “Ghosts are just malevolent spirits, existing only to cause harm. That’s my impression.”</p><p>“Well yeah, those ghosts were the only ones you saw that time,” Momo conceded, taking off her hat and fiddling with it as she sat back down on the grass. “But I’ve read about what ghosts are, and from what’s been discovered, they’re just like us – some good, some bad. We can’t just attack every single one of them.”</p><p>“Well, not that I can anyway,” Mao Mao growled sarcastically when he heard that, sneaking a glance at his golden sword Geraldine hanging at his hip.</p><p>Momo laughed a little at that remark. “Well yeah, that too. But still, let’s not be quick to judge if this is a ghost we’re dealing with here. If that ghost tries anything,” she winked and gently elbowed Mao Mao, “then it’s all yours.”</p><p>Mao Mao smiled back, letting out a little chuckle while rubbing the top of Momo’s head, squishing her hat flat a little. “Sure thing, Momo, but I’d also like to allow you to do the honors of helping me out with that too, since…” he scratched the back of his head, “…I’m not a magic fighter. You’re the one with the wand, after all.”</p><p>Momo’s eyes widened at what Mao Mao was suggesting, then allowing a huge open smile to creep up on her face. She got right in front of the sheriff. “Does that mean I’m the sheriff now?”</p><p>Mao Mao turned his head and stuck out his lower lip. “Pah! Of course not! The title of sheriff still belongs solely to me! I’m just appointing you my negotiator!”</p><p>Hearing that, Momo then slinked closer to Mao Mao until she was right at his side. “Then you don’t mind if I use diplomacy on the ghost first before I do my magic?” She blinked rapidly to convey the look.</p><p>Not knowing how to respond to Momo based on how she asked him that, Mao Mao let out a sarcastic sigh, not feeling the debater in him at the moment. “Sure,” he replied unenthusiastically, “do whatever works.”</p>
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<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Back to School</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Back in the attic of the ramshackle house, Adorabat and Badgerclops were starting to get stressed out. They had both been helping the little quiet ghost decide what costume to wear, but so far, the ghost didn’t quite seem to agree with their choices. At this point, the bat and badger felt like they had gone through the entire wardrobe, with almost no part of the attic remaining unturned.</p><p>“Grr! Are ghosts always so indecisive?” Badgerclops grunted in frustration, clenching both sides of his head as he reached the breaking point.</p><p>“Just when I thought ghosts look good in anything,” Adorabat groaned, sitting on the wooden attic floor as she no longer had the energy to even fly after all that work. Despite her aggressive frustration, she tried to resist her urge to scream at the spectral being when she turned to talk to it, though she still sounded quite loud. “Why don’t you like any of these costumes!? What is it you wanna wear!?”</p><p>The ghost still flinched from Adorabat’s outburst despite knowing it wasn’t as intense as it was at the beginning, but couldn’t speak its reasons, unfortunately. All it could do was drift back to the crayon drawing that still hung on the menacing ghost painting. The ghost gestured with its noodly arms on the two drawn Sweetypies that were on either side of the drawn version of itself.</p><p>Adorabat watched the presentation carefully, slightly tilting her head in moderate confusion. From what she could see from the crayon drawing, the ghost wanted to be outside with the Sweetypies, desiring to be friends with them and live alongside them without fear. But Adorabat then noticed another detail in the picture. The drawn version of the ghost was positioned between the two drawn Sweetypie kids, but it was not in a costume – it was shown to be simply the way it was, a ghost. That's when it clicked:</p><p>“Badgerclops!” she turned to the badger whose name she just called, “I think I figured out the costume!”</p><p>Badgerclops threw his hands up and let out a growling sigh of relief. “Finally! A choice had been made! I was just about ready to just slam a costume on that ghost and be done with it!” Badgerclops felt like he was there forever; though it was only for a few hours, he thought for sure he was going to be late for pie. But knowing that a solution had finally been realized and there was still time before the pie-event to make it there, Badgerclops was finally able to relax. “So what's the verdict?” he asked Adorabat about the final costume decision.</p><p>Adorabat didn't answer right away. Instead, she focused her attention on the ghost while holding a dusty white bedsheet that appeared to be crudely stitched in some parts. “Hold still,” she politely told the ghost in front of her. When she was sure the ghost was doing as she asked it, she then tossed the bedsheet over the spirit, letting the piece of cloth fall on it until the ghost was completely covered by the sheet.</p><p>Badgerclops appeared to slump, seemingly feeling a little let down at how overly simple this 'costume’ was. “Really?” he remarked, “What's that supposed to be?”</p><p>“It's a ghost,” was Adorabat's complete answer, “some of us dressed as ghosts before, so this fits perfectly.” She smiled and put her wings on her side, feeling proud of her realization. The ghost seemed to agree, lifting both its arms in joy which lifted corners of the cloth with them.</p><p>Badgerclops, on the other hand, didn't look that impressed. “Of course, they're a living Harvest Moon decoration. Who would've thought?” he muttered like he heard what he heard a million times already. But nevertheless, he went along with Adorabat's recommendation, approaching the now-shrouded ghost and converted his arm into a toolset needed to fix it up.</p><hr/><p>Meanwhile back on the streets of Pure Heart Valley, Mao Mao and Momo, plus the two accompanying Candy Cup Witches, were making the trek back to the school. It only made sense to return there since that place was the scene of the toilet paper crime, the scene of where said crime was allegedly perpetrated by a ghost.</p><p>“Well, let's hope we find this ghost,” Mao Mao grumbled while keeping a hand on his hilted sword. “I’m really not in the mood to be chasing down something that should’ve completely disappeared months ago for nothing.”</p><p>Momo took out her wand and held it at her side. “I guess you don’t want to miss the pie…”</p><p>“Well yeah, that too,” Mao Mao looked away, halfheartedly caught in the dilemma of whether or not to deny this selfish part of himself that longed for a slice. “Farmer Bun always grew the best pumpkins for the pie.”</p><p>“Don’t forget that Muffins always prepared that pie the best out of any baker in the valley,” Momo noted in addition. All she got from the sheriff was a nod.</p><p>Eventually, everyone made it back to the school, going around to the backyard where they stood when the rain of toilet paper occurred. It was when they got there that they noticed the ramshackle house that stood at the edge at the very back of the yard of grass. In fact, it was the first time Mao Mao actually paid attention to it. “Hey Momo,” he turned to the smaller black cat girl and pointed at the greyed house, “do you know anything about that?”</p><p>Momo looked where Mao Mao was pointing and saw the little building in question. “Hmm…I think I’ve seen it a few times whenever I went outside to read.” She moved a little closer to the house. “I wasn’t really that curious enough to try and find out more about it, but after I asked any teacher who was walking around at the time…” she paused, “…I was told it’s just a place to store old items.”</p><p>The answer seemed to make Mao Mao look visibly disappointed. “Really? I would’ve thought such a rundown thing would be grounds for a haunting.” He took wider and faster strides, making it to the edge of the house’s extremely shallow porch first but stopping short of actually stepping onto it. “Where are Badgerclops and Adorabat anyway?” he wondered out loud, sounding a little confused and irate at the same time, “I’m absolutely sure they would’ve given up on their patrol search around this area already. With Badgerclops, these tasks don’t even last five minutes.”</p><p>In a moment of serendipity, his eyes widened upon seeing the front door of the ramshackle house slowly opening up, a droning creak emanating from the hinges. Neither he nor Momo knew what was coming out at the moment, but they were prepared for anything. Mao Mao immediately unsheathed his sword and held it pointed out in front of him while Momo took an elegant stance with her wand raised above her head.</p><p>“Who’s coming out?” Mao Mao ferociously called to the mysterious door-opener. “Surrender now, or –”</p><p>“Whoa, bro. Chill.”</p><p>Both black cats immediately ceased and lowered their guard at hearing the sound of Badgerclops’s voice. The door opened all the way to reveal the eponymous badger stepping out of the house, looking unaffected by Mao Mao’s aggression from a few seconds ago. What caught Mao Mao further off guard was the sudden arrival of Adorabat swooping past the badger’s shoulder and right at the sheriff’s face.</p><p>“Mao Mao!” she cried out affectionately as she flew close enough to Mao Mao that he instantly sheathed his sword and caught her in both hands, slowing down her momentum until he was holding her in a swaddling manner.</p><p>“Adorabat,” Mao Mao responded as he held her. After taking a moment to nuzzle her face with his own, he then held her out at appropriate talking distance. “Have you and Badgerclops been in there this whole time? What did you find?”</p><p>Adorabat appeared to hesitate for a bit, as though she was searching her brain for something to say. “Well, we didn’t find the toilet paper prankster. But we found lots of cool stuff in this house. It was like a treasure hunt.” At the same time, Mao Mao noticed over Adorabat’s shoulder that Badgerclops closed the door from behind but spotted a small white corner from near his feet.</p><p>“Hold it right there!” Mao Mao called loudly, making both the bat and badger freeze. He slowly pointed at where Badgerclops stood while narrowing his eyes. “What’s that next to you, Badgerclops?”</p><p>Badgerclops let his eye trail to where Mao Mao was pointing. “Oh, that?” he responded, moving aside to reveal a short little person wearing a bedsheet over themselves, a pair of eyeholes cut from the sheet for them to see through. “This is…just another Sweetypie kid we found, yeah.” He tried to be inconspicuously casual about it as he rubbed the back of his head. “There were costume problems and the kid needed something else to wear, so we helped out.”</p><p>Mao Mao didn’t appear to be settled though. “Really? And would this ‘kid’ be involved with a certain stunt regarding flying ribbons of ‘paper’, by any chance?”</p><p>“Dude, you’re still on about that?” Badgerclops complained. He pointed both hands at the ghost-themed costumer, “This is a kid and a Sweetypie. No way can someone of that combo be able to do a carpet-showering prank of that scale.”</p><p>Mao Mao tried to ignore the fact that Momo had told him something like that as well. As far as he was concerned, there was a potential suspect present, and it seemed to fit the description, or at least looked similar, to what Pinky had claimed about what really happened. He was the sheriff and he wasn’t going to pass this up. “Well, you should know that we were tipped off that a ‘ghost’ was behind the prank.” He walked straight up to the ghost-dressed person next to Badgerclops. “Doesn’t seem wise for a prankster to come out in the open with that in mind…”</p><p>He was met with resistance from Badgerclops, who stood right between Mao Mao and the costumed ghost. “Mao, we’ve all been doing this for hours now. This person was wearing some other costume that wasn’t a ghost and just wants to party. Just let this go, man, at least for tonight!”</p><p>Mao Mao was just as resistant. “Just let me check this first!” But soon enough, he felt a hand tug at his cape, which prompted him to look behind to see Momo as the one doing it.</p><p>“Mr. Mao Mao, maybe Mr. Badgerclops has a point,” she said to him diplomatically, “It’s Harvest Moon, and stuff like pranks are common and expected. We’re all trying to have fun and no one means anything malicious when they misbehave. Besides, that costumer over there isn’t a real ghost, so why don’t we just drop it for now?”</p><p>Mao Mao looked back at the ghost-dressed kid hiding behind Badgerclops and shielded by Adorabat standing below. The person looked rather scared of him and didn’t seem to behave any more suspiciously than Sweetypies like Pinky. There was also the consideration that the strips of toilet paper that landed on the roofs of the neighboring houses were neither high in quantity nor tangled in the structures badly; the mess would be incredibly easy to clean up by tomorrow. Mao Mao considered that he had been doing this chase for hours and he had yet to see any more of Harvest Moon’s festivities.</p><p>Perhaps it wasn’t that big of a deal…</p><p>Mao Mao sighed. “Alright, let’s drop it then.” He groaned inwardly from hearing the excited cheers of the others around him. “But…” he interrupted, turning his gaze on the little ‘Sweetypie’ dressed as a ghost which prompted said Sweetypie to cower a little, “…don’t think of trying anything funny, ‘cause I will be watching.”</p><p>Once he got a nod of compliance from the little costumer, Mao Mao turned away to begin heading back to town, with Badgerclops, Adorabat, and the Candy Cup Witches in tow. The little ghost tagged along closely, staying by the side of the bat and badger who had helped it find what was perhaps the best costume for spending enjoyable time with Sweetypies in.</p>
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<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Jinx's Night Out</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The seven were getting closer to the town areas of Pure Heart Valley, getting a better glimpse of the brightly lit streets awash with radiance emanating from the hung lanterns strung from window to window. The playful voices of other Sweetypies faintly reached the group’s ears as they grew louder with each step closer taken; the same was said about music and the jingling of toys.</p>
<p>“Sounds like the pie-cutting ceremony’s coming very soon,” Momo notified her friends and the Sheriff’s Department. Her frog and fox friends, plus Adorabat, were rather giddy at the anticipation of pie. Baderclops was in a similar mood, but leaned more to the salivating side.</p>
<p>“I can’t wait,” the badger shuddered in a pseudo-whisper. “Let’s go.”</p>
<p>At the same time, the little ghost that was disguised under the modified bedsheet was excited as well. This was going to be the first time it was going to see an actual Sweetypie celebration, one where people would live and behave happily without fear of anything else coming to ruin the lively mood – the ghost hoped it would be able to live among them without fear as well. It also inwardly praised Adorabat and Badgerclops for their help in giving it the best Harvest Moon costume suited for it. It never would have imagined that it could have just gone as itself.</p>
<p>The seven were just within reaching distance of Town Square, where all the other Sweetypies had gathered in preparation for witnessing the pie-cutting event, when Momo spoke up in a worriedly frantic tone.</p>
<p>“My hat! Where’s my hat?”</p>
<p>Everyone’s attention was turned to Momo who was currently bent over and looking left and right across the grass and surrounding shrubs, her breathing rapid as indicative of a panicking state of mind. As she just asked of everyone, the top of her head was completely bare of her pointy hat that she was wearing as part of her costume earlier. Everyone watched her look long enough for her to get on her knees and look further to the ground.</p>
<p>“Did you lose your hat?” Mao Mao asked her, not caring that he just stated the obvious.</p>
<p>“Of course, I lost it!” Momo blurted without nary a moment to reconsider her answer. “I’m absolutely sure it fell off somewhere around here! I need to find it!”</p>
<p>Mao Mao immediately felt concerned for Momo’s situation, considering how she expressed her worry about such a thing happening to her. He couldn’t imagine how he’d feel if he ended up losing his sword and had to look for it in the darkness – he would definitely be much louder and more demanding if he had to get other people to help him search. He turned to the remaining five standing behind him. “Everyone, look around. Momo’s hat has to be here somewhere.”</p>
<p>As everyone, both the fox-frog pair and Badgerclops and Adorabat, got down to search for where Momo’s hat fell, the costumed ghost floated for a bit. It looked left and right, briefly examining each of the others searching for the hat. It floated past each and every one of them to take careful examinations of the neighboring shrubs, grass, and even a few trees…and then its eyes were caught by a distinct sight. There, sitting on the grass and nestled at the base of a dark green bush, a bright yellow pointy hat was present within the leaves. Without no other reason to hesitate, the ghost picked up the hat and drifted back to where Momo was.</p>
<p>Momo was just about to have another panicking fit when she noticed a presence next to her. She looked up to see that the mysterious costumed Sweetypie kid was in front of her, holding in both hands the hat she was looking for. The ghost-dressed costumer lifted and extended the hat out to her. Momo couldn’t have been happier. “You found my hat? Thank you!” she told the ghost happily, which made the spirit feel a little flutter in its transparent chest. Momo turned to the others who were still looking around. “Everyone,” she called to them and waited until she had all their attention, “The hat’s been found. We’re all clear.”</p>
<p>Everyone let out an audible sight of relief, especially by those who felt they had wasted enough time delaying themselves for the trip to Town Square. Momo turned back to the ghost-wearing person in front of her who was still holding her hat. Not wasting another second, she gently took the hat from the other and checked it over in her hands for any damage, stains, or any additional sticks or leaves that may have gotten on it. She turned her attention back to the hat’s returner. “Thanks a lot,” she said again. “I actually think you’re very nice.”</p>
<p>The ghost beneath the sheet couldn’t help but smile despite no one being able to see it from the outside, feeling even more aflutter on the inside. As far as it understood, it did the impossible – it got a Sweetypie, a member of the living, to like it. The ghost achieved the act of kindness that proved to others and itself that it wasn’t a bad ghost, that not all ghosts were bad. Conveniently, a breeze began to blow and pick up in speed shortly after returning Momo’s hat, which may have told the ghost and everyone else that it was time to go to Town Square.</p>
<p>It would have been smooth sailing if the wind didn’t blow the bedsheet off the ghost.</p>
<p>The ghost wasn’t able to visibly react to the realization its cover was blown in front of everyone, but everyone’s eyes were wide open – with shock from Mao Mao, Momo, and the other two Candy Cup Witches, and panic from Badgerclops and Adorabat who had set up the costume for the ghost beforehand. The wind died down, leaving absolute silence hanging in the air as no one said a word or even made a sound, too engrossed in disbelief that the alleged Sweetypie dressed as a ghost turned out to be a real ghost.</p>
<p>“Ghost!” Mao Mao shouted and pointed at said ghost. He looked absolutely alarmed and almost pulled out his sword when he remembered he couldn’t harm ghosts. “Momo!” he yelled to the black cat girl who still looked upon the ghost in front of her with an agape look on her face. “You have your wand? Get that ghost, now!”</p>
<p>“Sheriff, wait! I know it’s a ghost!” Momo yelled back to Mao Mao once she snapped out of her stupor. She turned back to face the ghost, which continued to just float in front of her without doing anything else. Her mind was racing with thoughts:</p>
<p>She had no idea that there was an actual ghost under that ghost costume. Apart from asking if this was some kind of joke, this was the first ghost she had seen since the attack on the school all those months ago. She remembered how she read that all ghosts were different, that not all of them were malicious like the ones she neutralized with her magic. She felt like she was being tugged at from both sides – one side telling her to do what Mao Mao said and attack the ghost without taking any risks, and the other side telling her to spare the ghost and give it a chance after the act of kindness it showed her in returning her hat.</p>
<p>She spoke again, but this time directed to the ghost. “You didn’t want to scare anyone, did you?”</p>
<p>The ghost didn’t speak, but shook its head gently that indicated a no, even softly putting both its hands together in an awkward manner to show nonaggression.</p>
<p>Mao Mao seemed to notice the ghost’s lack of hostility even as it hovered very close to Momo. “Momo?” he called to her a little more quietly. “What are you doing?”</p>
<p>Momo didn’t answer right away. Instead, she looked at the ghost for a moment and then looked down at the hat in her hands, remembering the good deed. She looked the ghost in the eye and gave a big smile. “It’s okay,” she said assuredly to the spirit, “I think you make a great Harvest Mooner.” To the ghost’s surprise, Momo jumped up to place her yellow hat on top of the ghost’s head, never letting her smile down for a moment. The ghost looked upon its own head curiously, wondering why the little black cat decided to gift the ghost with her own hat to wear, though it did admit to itself that the hat felt quite comfortable.</p>
<p>The bewilderment in Mao Mao only increased, however, and he marched over to Momo and nearly got between her and the ghost. “Okay, Momo. What’s the deal here? There’s a real ghost in front of us and you’re not worried at all. Are we forgetting about your school incident?”</p>
<p>Momo noticed the ghost slowly starting to look down again. “This ghost isn’t like those ones,” she reasoned to the sheriff, “It’s shy and kept quiet the whole time, plus it found my hat and gave it back to me. That doesn’t look malicious.”</p>
<p>“And how do we know it’s not pretending, biding its time?” Mao Mao further objected, “In all likelihood, it’s responsible for the toilet paper incident!”</p>
<p>Momo turned her head back to face the ghost. “Did you do that?” she asked the spirit in a pensive manner. The ghost hesitated but then slowly nodded, its head lowered in shame.</p>
<p>Mao Mao narrowed his eyes at the spirit, approaching it steadily as though he was going to deal with it personally in some sheriff-like manner somehow, someway. But he didn’t get far when he was interrupted by Momo’s pirate-costumed frog friend running by him and directly into the ghost. Everyone was startled by how the frog boy phased right through the ghost’s body and out the other side, leaving a rippling effect on said ghost.</p>
<p>“Whoa, that looks so cool,” the frog remarked in amazement, even sticking his own hand through the ghost again to confirm that it still went through the ghost, even repeating the same audible and visible ripple that vibrated the ghost’s form as he stuck his hand in and out again multiple times. “I have no idea how you can be like this and be able to wear stuff on you at the same time!”</p>
<p>“Uh, we’re still talking about the ghost being the culprit of a crime,” Mao Mao politely interrupted.</p>
<p>The frog was well aware of what the sheriff said. “I know. It’s not weird that kids who dress up as mummies use stuff like toilet paper. Besides, Momo’s right in that this ghost is a nice person. It was probably just an accident.”</p>
<p>“But –”</p>
<p>“Didn’t we all agree to let this incident go for Harvest Moon?” the little fox friend, the one dressed like a robot, interrupted with that reminder.</p>
<p>Mao Mao paused upon remembering that agreement. He definitely agreed that he had wasted enough hours chasing after a small time felon, and he enjoyed Harvest Moon as much as the next person. But still, this was a ghost…He took another look at the ghost, who also exchanged eye contact with him as well. Mao Mao analyzed the spirit long, hard, and carefully. He decided to use the ghost's current attention on him to get one last confirmation in. “You.”</p>
<p>The ghost became more focused on the sheriff.</p>
<p>Mao Mao continued, “You did put the toilet paper on those houses, right?” The ghost slowly nodded again, looking kind of sad. “Why?”</p>
<p>The ghost grabbed leaves off a bush and made motions with its hands, enabling Mao Mao to deduce that it was imitating the act of wrapping cloth around its own body. The ghost continued the demonstration, moving in one direction after doing a charade-action indicating the end of a cloth getting caught on something – it used another nearby bush as a reference point. Everyone's eyes followed as the ghost continued to move, then seeing the spirit slow down and then launch itself into the air like a spring-loaded toy, zinging in several directions up above before nosediving back down to the ground again. Before it made its descent, it threw the leaves everywhere and allowed them to slowly drift down to the ground.</p>
<p>Everyone understood the situation immediately.</p>
<p>“Aw, it’s okay,” Adorabat consoled the ghost, going right to its side. “We know you didn't mean it.” She tried to give it a comforting pat, but her wings ended up phasing through its transparent body. “Whoa,” Adorabat became amused in a flash, “it really does feel like touching mist!”</p>
<p>“Mao Mao?” Momo gently got the sheriff's attention one more time.</p>
<p>Mao Mao still took a moment to gather his thoughts, analyzing everything that had just transpired before him. He had just gotten the full explanation of why the incident happened the way it did, what the ghost had been doing all this time, and its true intentions. But despite having all this knowledge together in his head, he still didn't know what conclusion to come to. Well, did he really want to be bothering with this? It was almost time to be headed to Town Square.</p>
<p>Mao Mao spoke to the ghost one last time, “Alright. You can go.” He was completely calm and diplomatic as he spoke. “I can see you mean no harm and you want to have fun, but…” he emphasized a strong pause, making the ghost tensed up momentarily, “I'll be willing to let you go as long as you don't try anything funny, you get my drift?” The ghost nodded rapidly, not wanting to unnecessarily incur the wrath of the fierce-looking sheriff.</p>
<p>Momo, on the other hand, wasted no time at all with indulging the ghost in getting prepared for the Harvest Moon mood. “Here!” she exclaimed jovially to the ghost. Without saying more, she placed her basket, the one she held in her hands and gathered neighborhood candies in this whole time, into the hands of the ghost, giving the spirit a chance to indulge in candy-holding of its own.</p>
<p>The ghost looked upon the basket of candies in its hands, relishing the new opportunity to further move among the Sweetypies like a true Harvest Mooner. It felt…happy.</p>
<p>“Come on, let's go,” Momo implied the ghost, gently taking the spirit by the hand and pulled out along with her as the rest of the group went for Town Square. It was almost time for the pie-cutting and no one wanted to be late. The ghost smiled.</p>
<p>“You know, I don't think it’s practical to just call you 'ghost’ all the time,” Momo amicably said to the ghost, “how about a name?” The ghost tilted its head in confusion, as though it never heard of the concept of a name before. It didn't stop Momo, regardless. “Hmm…how about…Jinx?”</p>
<p>The ghost perked up in curiosity. Some of the group did too. “Why Jinx?” Mao Mao asked Momo on the ghost’s behalf.</p>
<p>“Because the ghost really brings a sense of magical joy to the season,” Momo answered without a doubt in her mind, “not to mention how wacky it is to find something fittingly good for the holiday.” She referred back to the toilet paper fiasco from earlier that was so easily the result of the ghost’s costume troubles. She turned back to the ghost. “What do you think? Is it okay if we call you Jinx?</p>
<p>The ghost thought for a little bit, but then nodded at Momo with a wordless smile.</p>
<p>“Okay then,” Momo responded proudly with her hands on her hips while readjusting the yellow hat atop the ghost’s head, “Jinx, it is!” The walk to Town Square continued. “Let's go, Jinx. Wouldn't want you to miss the pie-cutting ceremony. There's a big valley-wide party after this!”</p>
<p>With that said, the ghost – now known as Jinx – followed their new friend closely. Looking up, the moon shone brighter than they thought it did before. Tonight was truly going to be a good night.</p>
<p>Jinx really loved Harvest Moon.</p>
<p>
  
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  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thank you for reading, everyone!</p>
<p>If you want to know more about "Jinx's Night Out", visit this link-&gt; https://www.google.com/doodles/halloween-2017</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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